S'more Cookie Bars

There are a lot of attempts out there to bring the magic of s'mores to the dessert table, but in my opinion this one makes the most successful bid! A colleague of mine made them at the beginning of the academic year, and they were a hit in the office. She passed me the recipe this week in time for a bake sale, and they are the perfect bake sale item - simple to make, easy to transport, and popular with everyone.

These bars have got buttery graham cracker layers that encase Hershey's chocolate bars and marshmallow fluff, the very essence of the s'more. Once you bake it, all the goodness melts together and gets happy. I only gave these away because they were for a good cause!

These are from the blog The Crepes of Wrath, which has fabulous step-by-step photos. I made 8"x8" pans, but I like the idea she had of a 9"x13" pan with this recipe multiplied by 1.5. This means thinner dough in proportion to the fillings, which I think would be nice. Give it a whirl, why not?

S'more Cookie Bars

1/2 C (one stick) butter, room temperature
1/4 C brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 C all purpose flour
3/4 C graham cracker crumbs (about 8 graham crackers)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 king-sized milk chocolate bars
1 1/2 C marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows) - about one regular jar

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and/or line an 8-inch square baking pan (or 9x13 if you're 1.5-ing the recipe).

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg and vanilla.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan.

4. Place chocolate bars over dough (2 king-sized Hershey’s bars should fit perfectly side by side, but break the chocolate if necessary to get it to fit in a single layer no more than 1/4 inch thick).

5. Spread the marshmallow fluff over the chocolate.

6. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the fluff (most easily achieved by flattening the dough into small shingles or panels and laying them together).

7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool completely before cutting into bars.